Ty Dolla $ign

Since the start of the 2010s, Ty Dolla $ign has piled up chart successes, opening with assorted guest turns before stepping forward on his own singles that spotlighted his knowing, unapologetically pleasure-driven brand of modern R&B. Having first lent support to underground acts such as Sa-Ra and Erykah Badu, he crossed into the mainstream on YG's "Toot It and Boot It" (2010), kept notching features, and as a solo act came close to the upper reaches of the charts with albums including Free TC (2015) and Beach House III (2017). He later delivered his third studio LP, Featuring Ty Dolla $ign (2020), which entered the Top Ten of the Billboard 200. In 2021 he teamed with dvsn for Cheers to the Best Memories, and in 2023 he linked with Kanye West under the moniker ¥$, whose two albums Vultures 1 and Vultures 2 appeared in 2024.

Born Tyrone Griffin, Jr. in Los Angeles, the singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer is the son of Tyrone Griffin, the musician known for his work alongside Lakeside and Teena Marie. He began building momentum in the 2000s as half of Ty & Kory, appearing on Sa-Ra's The Hollywood Recordings, Erykah Badu's New Amerykah, Pt. 1: 4th World War, Shafiq Husayn's Shafiq En' A-Free-Ka, and Black Milk's Popular Demand. His first Billboard Hot 100 entry arrived in 2010 via the hook on YG's "Toot It and Boot It," an event that triggered a steady stream of studio sessions yielding both solo and joint releases across the decade.

Atlantic issued his major-label debut single "Paranoid" in 2013, a track that ultimately earned multi-platinum status. Follow-up "Or Nah" became his second entry in the Top Ten of Billboard's Hot R&B Songs chart and likewise went multi-platinum. Further singles and appearances on both mainstream and indie projects culminated in the November 2015 arrival of Free TC, his first full-length album. Honoring his brother then behind bars, the star-studded set opened at number 14 on the Billboard 200, powered by the gold or platinum-certified cuts "Blasé," "Saved," and "Wavy."

Over the ensuing two years Griffin expanded his range through contributions to pop successes such as Fifth Harmony's "Work from Home," the Suicide Squad: The Album hit "Sucker for Pain," and Jason Derulo's "Swalla." Major Lazer and Nick Jonas also called on him, yet these mainstream and dancefloor efforts sat alongside features for Fat Joe, 2 Chainz, and Meek Mill. As lead artist he released the commercial mixtape Campaign just before the 2016 presidential election; it reached the Top 30, led by the reflective protest track "No Justice" recorded with his incarcerated brother. Beach House III, his second proper album, was previewed by the stylistically wide-ranging singles "Love U Better" with Lil Wayne and the-Dream and "So Am I" with Damian Marley and Skrillex; it debuted at number 11 in October 2017.

For several years afterward Griffin remained most visible in supporting roles. Among numerous joint one-offs he appeared on Post Malone's Hot 100-topping "Psycho" and Khalid's multi-platinum "OTW," then partnered with Jeremih for the joint album MihTy. In 2019 he featured on more than a dozen tracks, among them Kehlani's "Nights Like This," Megan Thee Stallion's number 11 hit "Hot Girl Summer," and Skrillex's Grammy-nominated "Midnight Hour" for Best Dance Recording. As lead artist he issued several 2020 singles, including July's "Ego Death" with Kanye West, FKA Twigs, and Skrillex, and August's charting "Expensive" with Nicki Minaj. These paved the way for his third studio album, Featuring Ty Dolla $ign, which landed at number four on the Billboard 200 that October; additional guest-heavy singles such as "Spicy" with Post Malone and "By Yourself" with Jhené Aiko and Mustard appeared on the set, his first to open inside the U.S. Top Ten.

After contributing to dvsn's 2020 album A Muse in Her Feelings, he recorded the full-length collaboration Cheers to the Best Memories with the Canadian R&B duo. He also appeared on David Guetta's "Family," with the Bebe Rexha version generating the highest streaming numbers. In 2022 he released the Wiz Khalifa collaboration "Champions" and the Mustard-produced "My Friends" featuring Lil Durk. Early the next year he dropped the single "2022," followed by the Alesso track "Caught a Body" and the solo cut "Motion."

In 2023 Griffin formed the project ¥$ with Kanye West. Their debut single "Vultures" surfaced that November. After a series of delays the pair issued Vultures 1 in February 2024; the Billboard 200-topping album included appearances from Lil Durk, Freddie Gibbs, James Blake, and others and yielded the chart-topping single "Carnival" featuring Rich the Kid and Playboi Carti. Although ¥$ had announced plans for a monthly trilogy, Vultures 2 did not arrive until August 2024. That set again featured numerous guests, among them Lil Wayne, Young Thug, Desiigner, and Kodak Black.